Obama to Congress in State of the Union: Act on climate or I will

President Barack Obama gave Congress an ultimatum in his State of the Union address Tuesday night: Pass climate change legislation or brace yourself for an administration-wide assault on greenhouse gas emissions.

But he offered no details on what steps he’s prepared to take if Congress fails to act.

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Obama used his State of the Union address to call on lawmakers to pass “bipartisan, market-based” climate change legislation, similar to a cap-and-trade bill that drew some bipartisan support about a decade ago. While few people expect the current Congress to pass any such bill, the president’s words would put the onus for failure on Capitol Hill.

The president also steered clear of specifics about the Environmental Protection Agency’s long-awaited regulations on pollution sources like power plants. But he made a detailed case for addressing climate change, citing the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, record-high temperatures, droughts and wildfires.

“We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence. Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science — and act before it’s too late,” he said.

The last attempt at major congressional action on climate change, a cap-and-trade bill that would have put an economic price on greenhouse gas emissions, died in the Democratic-controlled Senate the summer before the 2010 midterm election.

Republicans in Congress were quick Tuesday night to dismiss any chance of comprehensive climate legislation passing in the current Congress.

“I don’t think that is realistic,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Nonetheless, in publicly pressing Congress to act, the president can deflect GOP criticism that he is bypassing the legislative branch in order to impose regulations on his own. He can also remind the voters that Congress had its chance.

The president’s comments Tuesday night harken back to the start of his first term, when he used his first address to a joint session of Congress in 2009 to press for a sweeping cap-and-trade bill. It was only after the legislation went down in flames that Obama vowed to turn to his regulatory authority.

“But if Congress won’t act soon to protect future generations, I will,” he said Tuesday. “I will direct my Cabinet to come up with executive actions we can take, now and in the future, to reduce pollution, prepare our communities for the consequences of climate change, and speed the transition to more sustainable sources of energy.”

He also called out Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) by name for having supported climate change legislation in the past. McCain — now a critic of many of Obama’s environmental policies — joined then-Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) in authoring climate change legislation that failed to pass Congress in the early 2000s.

“I urge this Congress to get together and pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago,” Obama said.